The human resource community may be quite familiar with the so-called “skills gap” problem: Unemployment numbers are high and some companies continue to grow, yet they can’t find candidates with the appropriate skills. While some interviewees clearly aren’t a good fit, some likely demonstrate the right attitude and skill set that will serve them well at your company.

To make sure these candidates reach their full potential at your firm, you have to be willing to spend money on training to bring them up to speed. However, an executive from Manpower, a global staffing firm, said most companies want “someone who can be productive tomorrow,” NBC News reported.

A Manpower survey found that skilled trades, engineers and IT staff experienced the biggest skills gaps in 2012. More than one-third of surveyed companies said they were unable to find the talent they were seeking.

“It used to be all you needed was a strong back and an alarm clock to get a really good, family-sustaining job in manufacturing,” Melanie Holmes said. “Unfortunately for individuals – and fortunately for companies – technology has changed that. You need at least some post-secondary education.”

Since human resources workers might not necessarily find skilled workers, they can work with management to make good workers. Setting up good training programs and even apprenticeship programs will ensure that new hires learn the ropes and gain on-the-job experience. While it may cost more up-front, the investment will pay off down the road.

“It comes down to an excuse of budget limitations,” David Smith, a human resources consultant at Accenture, said to NBC News. “The biggest issue probably is return on investment. It’s hard to measure the results. But it’s a poor excuse. People just get hung up so quickly on that point and they’re very, very short-sighted.”